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Introverts and Extroverts

Definitions

The definition of an introvert is “a personcharacterizedbyconcernprimarilywithhisorher ownthoughtsandfeelings” opposed to an extrovert who is “aperson concernedprimarilywiththephysicalandsocialenvironment” (“Introvert vs. Extroverts”).

Consider This:

“Society is itself an education in the extrovert values, and rarely has there been a society that has preached them so hard,” says American author and journalist William Whyte. Have extroverts been more idealized than introverts, even though they are of equal importance? After all, major, positive impacts have been made by several introverts, such as Albert Einstein, Frederic Chopin, Mahatma Ghandi, Sir Isaac Newton, and Rosa Parks. Susan Cain, author of the novel Quiet, refers to the glorification of extroverts as the Extrovert Ideal.

The Extrovert Ideal

The Extrovert Ideal is the the “omnipresent belief that the ideal self is gregarious, alpha and comfortable in the spotlight” (Cain, 36). Colleges such as Harvard University prioritize extroversion highly as their “school is predicated on extroversion” and earns the title the “Spiritual Capital of Extroversion” (Cain, 44). So when did extroversion begin its influence in America? Susan Cain states that it traces back to the late nineteen-hundreds where a “perfect storm of big business, urbanization and mass immigration” forced people to “become salesmen who could not only sell their company’s latest gizmo but also themselves” because “Americans started to focus on how people were perceiving them” (Cain, 21-22).

The Power of Introverts

Although the Extrovert Ideal is emphasized by society, it’s important to understand that introverts possess . For example, introverted leaders are “more open and receptive to [their peers’] ideas, which [motivates] them to work harder” whereas extroverted leaders are more “intent on putting their own stamp on events that they risk losing others’ good ideas along the way and allowing workers to lapse into passivity” (Cain, 57). Introverts can also “focus on one task at a time and can have mighty powers of concentration” because of the drive they receive from solitude, whereas extroverts crave the “thrill of the chase” and cannot as easily concentrate (Cain, 11). The importance of concentration of a subject determines the quality of the final product, therefore implying that introverts tend to have better quality products than extroverts. However, the point of this blog is not to start undervaluing extroverts, but to expose the underrated power introverts have that has been neglected.